Government pumps tens of millions of pounds into Coalition MPs' constiituencies ahead of polling day

Nearly all of the £36million went to Tory or LibDem areas. In one instance
Norman Lamb, the care minister, was allowed to unveil a £500,000 grant to
upgrade a station in his own constituency - forcing Downing Street to defend
him

Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat care minister, was allowed to unveil a £497,000 grant to upgrade Sheringham station in his own constituencyPhoto: Alban Donohoe

Ministers have been accused of electioneering with taxpayers’ money by using tens of millions of pounds to fund schemes in the constituencies of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats ahead of polling day.

Thirty six areas of the country were handed on average £1million each to pay for new art galleries, coastal path improvements and new bus and cycleways. Most of the cash benefitted Tory or Lib Dem seats.

Analysis by The Daily Telegraph of the 36 schemes found that four fifths of the schemes were in Tory or Liberal Democrat constituencies.

Labour claimed the cash showed the Government was engaging in “pork barrel politics” – a term used to describe government spending on constituents or politicians in return for their political support.

In one instance Norman Lamb, the LibDem care minister, was allowed to unveil a £497,000 grant to upgrade Sheringham station in his own constituency - forcing Downing Street to defend him later.

The analysis shows that 22 Conservative MPs and six Liberal Democrat MPs are benefitting, with just eight Labour MPs representing areas being handed the cash.

Some of the cash went to schemes in the seats of senior Tories including John Whittingdale, the Tory chairman of the Culture committee, whose area was awarded £292,000 for coastal trail Geoffrey Cox MP, whose local council received £417,000 for coastal resorts and Sheryll Murray, whose area received £149,000 for a music festival..

Tory and LibDem MPs were quick to jump on the funding announcements and claimed victory for their local campaigning for the money.

Mr Lamb told his local newspaper: "This is fantastic news. This money will give an extra boost to staff and volunteers who do such amazing work.”

Simon Kirby, the MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, boasted of the £2.3million to restore the outside area and pools of the Grade 2* Saltdean Lido, saying he had been “working hard to secure this funding”.

“We know that Ministers are visiting key seats on official visits and ramping up advertising budgets in time for the election.

“Ministers need to come clean and justify this expenditure. They must prove this is in the public interest, not just the electoral interest of the Tory Party.”

Andy Silvester, campaign director at the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: "Politicians shouldn't be using taxpayers' money to boost their prospects at the ballot box, and spending like this so close to an election is bound to raise eyebrows.

"Seeing a Health Minister fronting up a coastal defence measure is particularly alarming, especially after a spending spree on new and improved roads that seemed to be focussed on marginal constituencies. It's disheartening to see pork-barrel spending of the like seen in the United States potentially creeping in to British politics."

The cash came from the Coastal Communities Fund, which was set up by Danny Alexander, the chief secretary for the treasury.

He said: “I know how much difference targeted investment can make to people’s lives. It’s already supported scores of coastal communities from the Highlands of Scotland to the south coast of England.”

Downing Street denied suggestions that the cash was being use to go “electioneering on the taxpayer” by allowing Mr Lamb t0 announcing details of the spending in his own constituency.

The Prime Minister’s deputy official spokesman said: “it is about highlighting the coastal communities fund and the extra funding we are announcing is benefitting regions across the country.”

She said: “The specific announcement that he is making is to do with improving facilities at North Norfolk railway and this reflects the fact that the coastal communities that are benefitting are regions across the UK.

“It is important that the Government is out there today across the country highlighting that – and there are not several ministers for coastal communities that can be in all parts of the country in one day.”

Last month The Daily Telegraph disclosed how George Osborme, the Chancellor, unveiled £15billion-worth of new road schemes across the country, two thirds of which were in Coalition constituencies.